Analyst says U.S. wine production, consumption up

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- U.S. residents now make up the largest wine market in the world, consuming 13 percent of all that's produced globally.

That's according to a wine industry analyst who spoke at a major industry gathering in Sacramento, Calif. on Wednesday. Jon Fredrikson told wine industry executives at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium that U.S. production increased 2 percent last year to help meet demand.

But he said wines from Argentina, Chile and Australia continued to capture a growing share of the U.S. market.

Overseas wines now account for 35 percent of sales in the U.S.

According to the Press Democrat of Santa Rosa, Fredrikson said consumers were driven to cheaper imports by grape shortages in the U.S. in 2010 and 2011 that resulted in higher prices for domestic wines.

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